大象传媒

Things came to a head one night when we were in a house near to the empty prison camp. One of the villagers burst into the house calling 鈥淭edesco veni, Lorenzo, Andata via, Yamo, Yamo. Cliff and I jumped up and were out of the door in a flash.
I looked round the corner of the house and sure enough there were two soldiers with rifles and bayonets coming up the street towards us about two hundred yards away. We grabbed our coats out of the house and made off across the farm yard, through the vineyard to the fields. We later learned that the Germans had searched the haylofts and took one of the residents away for questioning, but as they found no trace of us there were no reprisals.

We huddled up for the night in a copse and the next day continued on our way.
We agreed to keep clear of Santa Christina, so as not to endanger the residents who had been so good to us, and try for isolated farms for food and somewhere to sleep for the night. After a few days we found ourselves on the large farm where we had been working as P. o. W鈥檚 and as no-one was about, we went to the front door. It was a large house and in the front porch was a collection of gum- boots and as my shoes had long since fallen apart I only had 鈥渮ocholise鈥� (a wooden sole with a strap at the front) on my feet. I was just about to open the door to try a pair on for size; the 鈥淧adroni鈥� came into the hall. Keeping my wits about me I said 鈥淏uon Journo, Signor, Voi Mongiure鈥�, 鈥淧or Favore鈥�. He knew who we were of course and in no uncertain terms told us to clear off. We knew most of the wealthy farmers had Fascisti leanings so we thought it wise to move on.

Going along a path by the side of a rice field, we saw coming towards us an Italian who was a stranger, as we knew most of them in the vicinity.
When he was alongside of us, he stopped and said,鈥滻nglese鈥�. They could spot us a mile off. I don鈥檛 know who was taking the risk at this encounter, but we were living on a knife edge all the time, so we said 鈥淪i Si, Inglese鈥�.His next words came as a complete surprise to us 鈥淗ow would you like to get to Switzerland?鈥�. This of course was our greatest ambition and we listened intently as he spoke to us. He said he had contacted a few more P. o. Ws and arranged for them to meet in an osterea at
Tore-di-Arese at eight o鈥檆lock tonight, and a man would come and help us to get to Switzerland. It was a village we had visited a before, and it was only a few kilometres away.
We thanked him, said we would go and after he had departed; Cliff and I talked it over and agreed we had nothing to lose, as things were tightening up a bit food-wise and places to sleep etc.
We were not far from Santa Christina so decided to lie low for a while and wait till it was dusk and get to Tore-di-Arese at about seven thirty pm. To get to a cross country route we had to walk about two hundred yards along the main road of Santa Christina and this was best done in the dark.

We set out and were just about to step on to the road when we heard traffic and could see headlights a few hundred yards ahead. It was a German column heading south.
Along the side of the road was an irrigation canal about four feet wide which the farmers used to flood the rice fields or drain as required and along it at intervals were small concrete blockhouses which housed machinery to propel the water as needed.
WE made for the nearest one, I was first and Cliff was close behind. It was black dark inside and as I went through the entrance (there was no door) I inched forward my right hand groping along the wall. My hand contacted an iron rod sticking out of the wall and grasping hold if it I held on with Cliff pressing close up to me. We waited in silence for the convoy to pass and after about ten minutes the noise of the vehicles passed on. I asked Cliff to strike a match to see where were, and when he did it showed me with my feet half over a parapet and about ten feet below us we could hear some sort of machinery churning the water through the dyke. After this narrow escape we made our way somewhat shakily out of the blockhouse and made our way along the path that would take us to Tore-di-Arese.

We were used to travelling in the dark across country and arrived at our destination about seven thirty pm. There was a house we had been in before which was beside a bridge, to wait in until eight o鈥檆lock prior to going to the osterea. This was s a place where the villagers gathered to play cards and drink vino. It was on the river bank near the bridge. Our Italian friends had said it was alright to stay with them in the house when we explained our reason for being there. Just on eight o鈥檆lock, as we were about to make our way to the rendezvous we heard the noise of vehicles and saw lights flashing in the direction of the osterea. We then heard voices of Germans shouting 鈥淗altzen, Haltzen鈥� They were surrounding the village and we knew it wasn鈥檛 someone coming to show us how to get to Switzerland, but how to get to Germany, or worse shoot us as we were in civvies- even though we had our greatcoats, we had kept them as insurance if we were recaptured.

Our Friends pulled us back into the house and hid us in a cupboard, where we stayed for one and a half hours or so until they told us the Tedesco鈥檚 had gone. Of course it had been a trap set by the Italian we had met and likely he was a fascist working for his German masters. Our friends told us the Tedesco鈥檚 had recaptured the other P. o. W.鈥檚 although one of them had escaped through a window into the river and swam downstream. If we had not waited in the house we would very likely have been recaptured also. From the back of the house our friends told us to cut across the fields to the south. We put in some distance from the scene of the near disaster and found ourselves a copse to rest for the night.

When morning came and we took our bearings, we decided to keep going south and headed for the River Po which wasn鈥檛 far away. Our Idea was to see if we could get someone to take us across in a boat then try to get to the Allied Armies that were advancing slowly from the South. As we neared the River Po, we came to a village and being hungry as usual, we tried a house on the outskirts, when we asked we were given some food and a bottle of Russo Vino. We enquired if there was a barbers shop in the village as we were both in need of a shave-we had a safety razor but had run out of blades. They told us there was one just down the road, we found it and went in.
The barber gave us a hair cut and a shave free of charge and as we were coming out a policeman was coming in. He looked closely at us as we brushed past him wearing our trilbies-for though I had dark hair, Cliff was flaxen haired which is rare in Italians. Beating a hasty retreat down the road with no sign of pursuit, we made for the river.
Coming out of the village we asked at the last house if we were anywhere near the River Po and if so did they know anyone who would take us across. We were told there was a house on the river bank about three miles ahead who they knew had a boat.

Continuing on our way, we saw the house and made our way to the door. The ground leading up to it was very marshy and our feet were sinking ankle deep in it. I knocked on the door; it was opened by a man who invited us in. He Knew we were P> o. W. s
Of course as soon as we said 鈥淏ouno Journo鈥�, so we got to the point. We asked if he could take us across the river, our hopes were dashed straight away, when he said 鈥淣on possiblo, Multi pericoloso鈥� (not possible, very dangerous). The river was a mile wide and even if we got across the 鈥淭edasche鈥� had it fortified. This was a set-back to our hopes, so we made our way back to the road deciding to return to Santa Christina.
We were wearing our greatcoats now as it was cold and wet; we walked openly through the village, at this stage not caring if 鈥淛erry鈥� picked us up or not.
It was just before dark when we arrived in Santa Christina and who should come running towards us but Maria. Her first question was 鈥渨here have you been Lorenzo鈥�
(They had difficulty pronouncing Cliff鈥檚 name- saying either Claff or Cleff.) We told her that we had tried to cross the Po in the hope of getting back to our lines, and about the narrow escape we had at Tore-di-Arese, which the villagers had heard about.
Maria took us to a house where we could spend the night and told us she would
contact the Partisans to organise our escape to Switzerland. The next day she came
to tell us it was arranged for us to meet the Partisan leader in a field at twelve o鈥檆lock
that night.

Precisely on the hour came the Leader, flanked by our two friends. Our 鈥淒eliverer鈥�
Who was to take us to the 鈥淧romised Land鈥� came striding towards us in the shape of a
middle aged Signori dressed in a grey fedora hat, black overcoat and gum boots. He
was introduced to us as La-Conte (an Italian Count).

He spoke quietly to us of the risks involved and asked us we were prepared to take
them. Our agreement was unanimous, as we could not have been in much greater
dangers of recapture than we already were, as being in 鈥渃ivvies鈥� we could be shot on the spot. He then led us over the fields to an isolated house set back from a road.
He left us therewith six of his Partisans, three men and three women. We did not see him again. The Partisans told us we would stay for the night and early in the morning
would depart on different routes for Milan, by two鈥檚 at different times.

At first light Gunner Downes and I were awakened and told to dress. The two of us were taken outside, given a bicycle each and told to follow one of the women, (also on a bike) towards a place named Pavia. Our greatcoats we left behind, we were given civilian overcoats ,better trilbies and decent shoes. We reached our destination within half an hour, and watching the woman place her bicycle at a caf茅 door we followed suit. Going into the caf茅. We were given a cup of coffee by the Proprietor and told to wait for our next guide who would come shortly carrying a briefcase.

While we were drinking our coffee, a smartly dressed Italian came in and sat down beside us putting his briefcase on the table. He then went into details of the next stage of our journey. Giving each of us a train ticket for Milan, we were told to follow him through the turnstile at the station which was not far from the caf茅. On no account were we to speak on the station platform or on the train this would arrive in about thirty minutes. When we arrived at Milan station we were to follow a few yards behind him, keeping him in sight at all times, the briefcase he carrying making it easier for us to identify him.

So we set out, our guide, first through the turnstile, with Cliff and I close behind. On the platform were German officers and civilians waiting for the train. The train arrived on time and it was full of German officers and other ranks, with few civilians. We followed our guide into the carriage and he sat down next to a civilian. Cliff and I managed to get a seat together behind two German officers. It was about a one hour run to Milan and we arrived at the station without incident. Our guide got off the train carrying his briefcase and we followed him to the turnstile, handed in our tickets and came out on to the main street of Milan breathing a sigh of relief. If we were caught we would more then likely be shot as spies or saboteurs, especially as we were involved with Partisans. We followed our guide down a street keeping at a discreet distance as the place was swarming with Germans, Fascisti and Carabinieri.

As we left the vicinity of the station we turned into a quieter street and at the end of it we saw our guide turn into a large building right on the corner. The building was empty, it looked like a hotel and as we went through the door, our guide spoke to us for the first time since we set out, telling us to follow him. He took us up the stairs right to the top of the building and into a small room. We were told that we would be stopping here for two or three days, food and drink would be brought to us by a woman Partisan during this time.

Early on the third day, she came and told us to follow her. Coming out of the front door we turned right and went back up the street towards the station. There were very few people about and as we followed her she led us down some steps into the basement of a house about two hundred yards from form where we had started out.
Imagine our surprise when we were greeted by the ten P> o. W. s who were in the field with us at our midnight rendezvous. Not only that, there was an extra one, so that made thirteen of us in all. They had been brought here by various routes by the Partisans. The owner of the house was a famous motor cycle racer of that time, he and his wife, who was looking after our welfare were both members of the Underground Army of Milan as indeed all of them were.

After a week, as preparations were being made for the last stage of our escape into Switzerland, she assembled us together and addressed us in good English .She asked us ,that when we arrived home in England to tell the British people how they, the Partisans had helped us escape, and not only us, but hundreds of other P. o. W. s.

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